Tiny microbes living all around us

By TERRY HALL Extension Educator/Agronomy Potter, Sully, Hyde, and Faulk Counties ONIDA - One of my most vivid memories of attending our one-room country schoolhouse, Laketon-Preston District 86, was the annual visit of the County Nurse. We were sitting wide-eyed in our desks, half-scared to death, when she ordered us to look at our grubby little hands. "Look at the dirt underneath your fingernails!" she exclaimed. She then proceeded to introduce us to the filthy, tiny microbes which were living there. After she was through, I wondered if I would survive the day to see another morning, if I did not change my personal hygiene program that very minute. What she neglected to tell us was that our body has natural defense mechanisms to fight infections from those very same bacteria. There has been a lot of reference to E. coli in the news lately with outbreaks of foodborne illness occurring here in the United States. Bacteria like Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli can be found in the intestines of cattle, deer, goats, and sheep. The animals excrete bacteria in manure, which can contaminate ground and surface water systems around large farms or contaminate produce if the manure is used as fertilizer. Such produce includes sprouts, lettuce and spinach. E. coli 0157:H7 is one of the hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli, most of which are harmless. This particular strain is the culprit that produces a powerful toxin that causes severe illness which results in abdominal cramps and severe diarrhea that may or may not be bloody. Bacteria in the loose stool of toddlers during toilet training can be passed from one person to another if hygiene or hand washing habits are inadequate. (See...that County Nurse was right!) Older children and adults rarely carry the organism without symptoms. E. coli can contaminate the fur of animals and it is commonly found in petting zoos. Bacteria present on a cow's udders or dairy equipment can get into raw milk and it is advisable to never drink unpasteurized milk. More infections in the United States have been caused by eating undercooked contaminated ground beef than any other food. Consult your Extension Educator of Family & Consumer Science for proper food preparation of meat and produce. While we are at it, consult your Extension Educator of Livestock for the proper use of antibiotics in feed. Antibiotics will kill some bacteria but there are always a few bacteria in a population that have traits that help them survive. These survivor bacteria are resistant to antibiotic treatments...part of the "survival of the fittest" plan. Infections from these superpower bacteria can be fatal. For more information, go to the website http://www.cdcfoundation.org/frontline/2005/get smart on the farm.aspx